Credit: Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports
The Tomoyuki Sugano sweepstakes seem to be down to a few teams, and the Mets might not be one of them. Joel Sherman of the New York Post is reporting that the Mets are no longer interested in Sugano. Backing up a previous report that Jon Heyman of MLB Network that said the Mets have shifted their focus elsewhere.
The 31-year-old has a Jan. 7 deadline to sign with a major league team, however he does have a player friendly option to return to the Yomiuri Giants, with opt outs every year.
Giants and Blue Jays are seen as the favorites to sign Sugano.
Sugano holds a 101-50 record with a 2.34 ERA over the last eight seasons with the Giants. It is pretty rare for Yomiuri to post their players, so many organizations view this as a golden opportunity to grab one of the NPB’s best players.
The right-handed pitcher is a viable option to any rotation he joins. Although the Mets have decided to shift their focus elsewhere, the rotation is still a big hole to fill this offseason. Sugano is viewed by many as the best free agent pitcher next to Trevor Bauer, with names such as Masahiro Tanaka and Jake Odorizzi still on the market.
